Beverage clouding agent is a food additive (emulsion) used in the preparation of beverages to enhance their opacity and make them more visually appealing to consumers. Citric acid is one of the most commonly used cloud agent although other neutral, flavourless agents are also in use in the beverage sector.

The use of clouding agent is determined by the end-use of beverages. Use of clouding agents in the beverage sector is expected to witness steady growth, especially in the lemonade- and guava-based beverages.

On the basis of source, clouding agents can be sub-segmented into natural clouding agents and non-natural/synthetic clouding agents. Natural clouding agents are sourced from fruit peels and vegetable oils. Synthetic clouding agents, such as brominated vegetable oils and glycerol ester of wood are also used to produce beverage clouding agents. The demand for natural clouding agents is gaining traction owing to the growing ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ trend in the market. Beverage clouding agents are sub-segmented on the basis of their properties, into neutral clouding agents and non-neutral (colored clouding agents). The neutral clouding agents are used in juices and beverages in which consumer do not except any haziness. Neutral clouding agents do not alter the taste or colour of the beverage. On the other hand, non-neutral clouding agents are used in drinks where an opaque or natural look is desired. Non-neutral clouding agents influence the taste and colour of beverages, owing to which they are widely used for lending a certain flavour to a drink.

Beverage clouding agents can also be classified on the basis of preparation into citrus clouding agents and non-citrus clouding agents. Citrus clouding agents are basically prepared from the peel of citrus products -- preferably orange and lemon Non-citrus clouding agents are usually sourced from vegetable oils.

Beverage clouding agents can be further segmented on the basis of form into oil-based and powdered. Most of the clouding agent are oil-based liquids, which are easily soluble in water. Powdered clouding agents are mostly used in the preparation of powdered premixes. These premixes are mostly made with or without sugar.

Region-wise, the global beverage clouding agent market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa and Asia-Pacific excluding Japan, and Japan. Growth of the beverage clouding agents market is dependent on the growth of the emulsion- and beverage market. While North America and Western Europe will continue to offer growth opportunities, the beverage clouding agent market in APEJ is anticipated to grow at a robust pace. Emergence of a growing middle class, with high disposable income and awareness levels, is ramping up demand for juice and beverages with natural ingredients. Owing to this, the beverage clouding agent market in the region is anticipated to witness an increase during the forecast period.